Ukraine and the European Union have agreed that Brussels will consider the issue of systematic violations during the issuance of visas to Ukrainians no later than in the first quarter of 2009.
They reached this agreement during the second meeting of the Ukraine-EU joint committee for the facilitation of visa procedures, which was held in Brussels on Friday, Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister Kostiantyn Yeliseyev said.
According to him, the Ukrainian delegation has raised the issue about the need for rigid time frames to settle the existing problems with the issuance of visas to Ukrainians.
"We agreed about the rigid time frames, in which Europe is to consider these issues. We agreed that this issue will be considered as soon as possible, no later than in the first quarter of this year," he said.
Speaking about the systematic violations existing in the process of the issuance of visas to Ukrainians after the Ukraine-EU visa facilitation agreement took force on January 1 2008, Yeliseyev noted five kinds of such violations.
First is the enormous list of documents Ukrainians should provide for getting visas. "We insist this list should be much shorter and unified," Yeliseyev explained.
Another violation is the use of mediators by consular offices of the EU states, which almost doubles the visa fees, the deputy foreign minister said.
Besides, the consular offices often do not explain the reasons behind the visa refusal. "They should provide clear explanations, why a person was refused a visa," he stressed.
Moreover, the consular workers often treat visa applicants unethically, Yeliseyev said.
The last on his list was an insufficient number of long-term visas issued. "We insist that visas should be issued for five-year term, as is foreseen in the agreement," he said.
"This is the list of systematic violations," Yeliseyev said.
The deputy minister also noted other violations, in particular those concerning the issuance of visas to Ukrainian drivers.
